Commission Agenda Item No. 5
Presenter:  Robin Riechers

Briefing
License Buyback Program
November 3, 2011

I.       Executive Summary:  The Texas Parks and Wildlife – Coastal Fisheries Division has created license buyback programs for commercial shrimp, crab, and finfish licenses.  The program began in FY97 with the buyback of commercial shrimp licenses, expanded to include commercial crab licenses in FY01, and again in FY02 to include commercial finfish licenses.  Since the initial year, the Coastal Fisheries Division has purchased 2,361 licenses at a total cost of approximately $14.5 million.

II.      Discussion:  In FY97, the Texas Parks and Wildlife — Coastal Fisheries Division implemented the first license buyback program in Texas for commercial shrimp licenses.  Authority to create this program is detailed in Parks and Wildlife Code §77.119.  The initial year of the program the division purchased back 30 licenses, at an average cost of $3,394.  In the most recent round of commercial shrimp license buybacks, the division purchased 31 licenses, at an average cost of $8,771.  To date, the division has purchased a total of 2,074 commercial shrimp licenses at a total cost of approximately $12 million.

In FY01, the Texas Parks and Wildlife — Coastal Fisheries Division created a buyback program for commercial crab licenses, under authority given in §78.111.  During the initial year, the division purchased 7 licenses at an average cost of $4,357.  During the most recent round of buybacks, the division purchased 2 licenses at an average cost of $9,750.  To date, the division has purchased 51 commercial crab licenses at a total cost of approximately $327,000.

One year later, in FY02, the department expanded the buyback program to include commercial finfish licenses, under authority in Parks and Wildlife Code §47.081.  During the initial year, the division purchased 13 licenses at an average cost of $4,150.  During the most recent round of buybacks, the division purchased 14 licenses at an average cost of $9,518.  To date, the division has purchased 236 commercial finfish licenses at a total cost of approximately $1.4 million.